Flying toys are popular amusement devices that include boomerangs, flying discs, kites, model airplanes, and ring airfoils. The popularity of flying toys arises in part because flying toys generate lift as they move through the air, giving them interesting and engaging flight characteristics.
Ring airfoils are relatively obscure flying toys that generally resemble hollow cylinders having open ends. The walls of these cylinders may have an airfoil shape. Ring airfoils "fly" when they generate lift by moving through the air in a flying orientation. In a preferred flying orientation, one end of the ring airfoil points generally forward, in the direction of motion, and the other end points generally backward. Lift generated in this and other flying orientations, combined with low aerodynamic drag, causes ring airfoils to follow nearly level trajectories. In contrast, nonflying toys, such as balls, follow parabolic ballistic trajectories. Nearly level trajectories ensure greater flight times than ballistic trajectories, enhancing the fun of playing with ring airfoils.
Ring airfoils also may spin during flight about a central axis or axis of symmetry connecting their two ends. Such spinning may gyro-stabilize the flying orientation of ring airfoils, helping them to maintain lift.
Although ring airfoils have been known for many years, they have failed to achieve the popularity of other flying toys. This failure may be due in part to difficulties inherent in inducing ring airfoils to move through the air in a flying orientation, and in part to safety concerns inherent in past patterns of use.
Launching by hand is the generally known method of launching ring airfoils, where launching generally comprises inducing a ring airfoil to move through the air. Most known ring airfoils were designed to be launched by hand, including those disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,264,776, 4,151,674, 4,246,721, 4,390,148, 4,790,788, and 5,397,261. Yet, launching ring airfoils by hand has numerous shortcomings. First, launching by hand effectively may place the use of ring airfoils outside the ability of casual players, or of children in general, because considerable skill and/or strength may be necessary to provide both the forward and spinning motions needed to maintain ring airfoils in a flying orientation. Second, launching by hand raises safety concerns, because ring airfoils may be launched along errant paths or with too much energy, increasing the likelihood of damaging impacts. Third, launching by hand necessitates the use of rigid, rather than flexible, ring airfoils. Yet, flexible ring airfoils pose a lesser impact hazard than rigid ring airfoils. Moreover, flexible ring airfoils may better maintain their airfoil properties in use because they are less likely to be damaged by impacts and more likely to be aerodynamically self-stabilizing when spun.
Toys for mechanically launching projectiles having apertures also are known, including launchers disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,232,285, 4,291,663, and 5,438,972. However, none of these toy launchers is designed for use with ring airfoils, and especially with flexible ring airfoils. Instead, these launchers are designed for use with rings ('285), balls ('663), and discs ('972).
These launchers generally engage and contact projectiles having apertures along the entire surface of such apertures. This contact creates frictional forces that must be overcome at launching, reducing the velocity with which projectiles leave the launchers and necessitating the use of more powerful launchers. Moreover, one launcher ('972) additionally engages projectiles with magnetic forces that also must be overcome at launching.
These launchers have other shortcomings. One ('972) has no mechanism to secure the launcher in a launch-ready, engaged configuration. Two ('285, '972) have no mechanism to spin a projectile. Yet, spinning the projectile is a desirable feature with ring airfoils, because spinning gyro-stabilizes flight. At least two ('285, '663) have exposed parts that may cause injury or be damaged during use. All three have no mechanism to place the launcher in an engaged configuration, except by pulling the projectile itself or the moving parts of the launcher. Yet, pulling the projectile itself requires that the projectile be rigid, and pulling the moving parts of the launcher requires that the moving parts be exposed, raising the safety concerns discussed above.